Genma was completely unaware that a spectacle of "Sasuke beating up Sasuke" was currently playing out elsewhere in the shinobi world.
Over at the field hospital camp, much like the Sarutobi clan had done not long ago, various shinobi clans were busy moving their wounded.
The shinobi of the Yinghuo organization were packing up their belongings and preparing to evacuate. For them, the war was already over. As for cleaning up the battlefield and tallying the spoils... considering their side hadn't participated in the most brutal segments of the fighting, they decided to leave those minor benefits to their allies. The members of Yinghuo were taking the high road here.
Since the other factions had made such heavy sacrifices in the war, they rightfully deserved the right to distribute the spoils. The Yinghuo faction displayed noble generosity—they needed absolutely nothing.
The blood and sacrifice of their allied shinobi were not in vain.
Genma lightly rested his left hand on the large scroll strapped to his back, looking every bit the detached, otherworldly master who didn't care for petty profits. And indeed, that wasn't a lie—he certainly didn't care about petty profits. But while the wounded soldiers had departed, Senju Tobirama had not left yet. He still had important matters to discuss with Genma.
A Convergence of Paths
"What happened today will soon spread across the entire shinobi world," Tobirama began, his expression grave. "The annihilation of the Hagoromo clan is no small matter. More importantly, many shinobi will realize the power of standing united because of this."
Tobirama knew that the so-called joint operation in this war was actually just a coincidence, but the resulting combat effectiveness was undeniable. Certain things that clans like the Sarutobi could realize, those bystander clans brought along by Genma could realize as well.
"Ultimately, this is a better direction for development, isn't it?" Genma replied smoothly.
If the Hidden Village system could be established ahead of time, it should be considered a good thing. At the very least, under the "One State, One Village" system, the flames of war would be extinguished within its borders. Genma actually didn't have much talent for institutional innovation, and the development of the shinobi world followed its own laws. More importantly, the person who would dictate the order and rules of an era wasn't Genma anyway—strength was king, and there was nothing more to say about it.
So, if it was going to be a shinobi village, then so be it. It was fine, no problem at all.
"Uniting... quite a few people, including myself, have envisioned such a thing," Tobirama continued, seemingly talking in circles. He phrased his thoughts so obliquely that even though Genma sensed an underlying meaning, he couldn't quite grasp what the man was getting at. "It's just that you were the first to actually try it. Even our joint action, brought about by a twist of fate among these clans, was engineered by you..."
"What are you trying to say? Just be direct."
"What I mean is, if clans like the Senju, Hyuga, Uzumaki, and Sarutobi form a shinobi village, what will happen to your Yinghuo? When that time comes, a region can only have one voice. Frankly, I don't want to make an enemy of you."
So that was it.
In the past, Genma might have agonized over this, but now he had learned to accept it. Besides, he had already been spoiled on the future. After all, the "travelers from the future" who came to this world had mentioned that Yinghuo would eventually become an organization within Konohagakure.
Still, Genma felt that Tobirama was oversimplifying things. Unifying large clans was vastly different from unifying small and medium-sized ones. Things had gone smoothly on Genma's end because although the clans under his banner had their own unique traits, they all lacked scale. Their clan heads were highly rational and free of petty, underhanded scheming.
But what about the major clans?
"Someone who can unify the major shinobi clans must possess immense strength and a unique personal charisma," Genma countered, narrowing his eyes. "But is the current leader of your Senju clan such a person? Your father is a man of rigid thinking, incapable of accepting new things and unwilling to let go of outdated concepts."
"The Senju clan has indeed reached a crossroads. You know which path is the right one, but can you guide the clan down it? Can you actually do it? If you can't, then hold your tongue. I think you know better than I do who is standing in the way of the Senju clan—and this entire land."
If nothing else, even Sarutobi Sasuke knew to come over and personally thank Genma. But what about Senju Butsuma? He had merely shown his face and hadn't uttered a single word to Genma. Tobirama was neither the leader nor could he represent the leader's will, so what right did he have to talk about recruiting talent here? Truthfully speaking, Tobirama's status wasn't even on equal footing with Genma's.
Genma continued to apply the pressure: "In a sense, the Uchiha clan, having lost their allies, actually have more room to maneuver than you do. Because the one leading the Uchiha right now is Uchiha Madara, and he certainly isn't a blockhead, is he?"
So, who was the blockhead?
Tobirama felt incredibly stifled, unable to offer any rebuttal. Clearly, his dear older brother was exactly the kind of highly charismatic person needed. As long as his brother became the clan leader, Tobirama's various diplomatic and alliance plans could be put into motion. However...
According to a certain universal theory, any problem that can be solved by eliminating a person isn't a complex one, especially for shinobi. But analyzing the specific situation, that "universal solution" did not apply to Tobirama. No matter how ruthless he could be, he couldn't possibly plot to assassinate his own father, could he? At this moment, he had to thank his fate for not giving him a Sharingan.
After this conversation, Genma had nearly driven Tobirama into depression. The future of the Senju clan seemed boundlessly bright, yet it was tripped up by an insurmountable stumbling block. Did Senju Butsuma have the qualifications to become the "overlord of multiple clans"? Don't make me laugh. Everyone had interacted for so many years and knew each other inside out; how could they not know what kind of man Butsuma was?
In fact, the higher-ups of clans like the Hyuga and Sarutobi could easily guess what Butsuma would do:
Day One: Clan alliance.
Day Two: Centralize power, weaken the branches.
Day Three: Civil war.
Genma patted Tobirama on the shoulder and brought the topic to an end. Just wait; this was the classic case of "If Hashirama does not emerge, what can be done for the common people?"
But truth be told, Hashirama's "One State, One Village" system was only a fraction better than this chaotic era of war anyway.
Because he had chosen a topic that was completely disadvantageous to himself, Tobirama's intellect was thoroughly suppressed by Genma. At this point, he could only walk away silently and help Chihori pack her luggage.
A moment later, however, he was laughing and chatting happily with her.
Genma: "..."
This guy is a total disgrace to our mastermind duo. Better leave quickly; every extra second spent here just gives that dog another second of happiness.
The Battle of the Two Sasukes
Sarutobi Sasuke's palm was coated in high-intensity Lightning Style chakra as he clamped down on the wrist of the charging "righteous warrior." This was the first and only ninjutsu used in this battle by Sarutobi Sasuke, a master of all five basic nature transformations.
Uchiha Sasuke, now held firmly in place, found it difficult to comprehend the current situation.
Techniques like Chidori or Raikiri could, of course, be dodged by enemies, and it wasn't impossible for some shinobi to tank the hit directly. But to forcefully interrupt his ultra-high-speed lightning style technique—wasn't there something wrong with that? For the Chidori to be caught barehanded by someone... wasn't that a bit ridiculous?
Looking at Uchiha Sasuke's youthful face, Sarutobi Sasuke felt both admiration and regret. To achieve such a feat at such a young age was impressive, but unfortunately, he was an enemy... Well, he deserved a better fate.
Showing mercy was out of the question. Admiration was one thing, but there was no room for soft-heartedness among shinobi in this era. In fact, right after feeling that touch of admiration, Sarutobi Sasuke's next move was to turn up the heat.
Even though the "righteous warrior's noble deeds" were entirely a product of Sarutobi Sasuke's own imagination, it definitely had a positive effect on his combat drive.
A three-tomoe Sharingan surfaced in Uchiha Sasuke's eyes, and he instantly cast a genjutsu on his opponent. However, the moment Sarutobi Sasuke caught sight of the Sharingan, he released Uchiha Sasuke's hand. By the time the latter cast the genjutsu, Sarutobi Sasuke's hand signs were already completed.
The genjutsu did take effect, but Sarutobi Sasuke broke out of it at lightning speed. At the same time, he activated the Summoning Jutsu.
A massive old monkey, even taller and broader than himself, appeared by his side. Immediately after, the monkey used the Transformation Jutsu to turn into a sturdy staff.
Huh? Didn't this shinobi's appearance and fighting style look a bit familiar to Uchiha Sasuke?
But he had no time to think it through. The staff whirled up and down, weaving a flurry of feints and solid strikes. For a moment, Uchiha Sasuke could only dodge, completely unable to find an opening to defend. Yet, these were all just probing attacks. After testing Uchiha Sasuke's taijutsu level a bit, Sarutobi Sasuke felt slightly disappointed. He gave the long staff a sharp flick, and like a ghost, it came crashing down directly toward Uchiha Sasuke's head.
At this critical juncture, the visual perception of the Sharingan finally proved its worth. Uchiha Sasuke knew he could neither dodge nor block this strike.
"Susanoo!"
He had no choice but to unleash his trump card.
Thud!
The staff struck the ribcage of the Susanoo, seemingly dealing no damage. But Sarutobi Sasuke didn't mind. Gauging the force of the recoil, he readjusted his striking power. With a swift motion, he pulled back the staff and shifted from a smash to a thrust. The attack was short, sharp, and fierce. In the blink of an eye, the tip of the staff slammed violently against the exact spot he had just struck.
Crack.
With the forces combined, a fracture instantly splintered across the rib made of chakra. Once again, the absolute defense proved that it wasn't actually all that absolute.
Following that, Sarutobi Sasuke's attacks rained down like a tempest. Truth be told, forcefully dismantling an opponent's defense provided a unique thrill in battle, and the more Sarutobi Sasuke fought, the more he got into the groove. Uchiha Sasuke, on the other hand, played the role of a punching bag perfectly.
Seeing that his Susanoo was about to be completely torn apart, Uchiha Sasuke had no choice but to use another ultimate move!
Black flames surged directly toward Sarutobi Sasuke, but the latter had maintained absolute focus. With a single sidestep, he easily evaded the attack. He could keep dismantling it.
Uchiha Sasuke had always been highly confident in his own strength. Yet, facing this shinobi's airtight assault, he felt completely stifled, as if his entire repertoire of skills was rendered useless. Aside from manifesting Susanoo and casting Amaterasu, he couldn't seem to accomplish anything. Did he even need to wonder why? He was being utterly suppressed, and his enemy was doing it using nothing but taijutsu.
But Uchiha Sasuke wasn't completely without progress. To prevent his Susanoo from being violently dismantled, at this very moment, he finally grasped the method of controlling the black flames! Channeling the ocular power of his right eye, he used Kagutsuchi to manipulate the black flames, coating his Susanoo in them.
I'll burn myself—let's see if you're brave enough to touch me now.
Sarutobi Sasuke's attacks came to an abrupt halt. He could sense the profound danger of the black flames.
"Righteous warrior, your ocular power is almost depleted. How much longer can you maintain this state?"
Looking at his panting opponent, Sarutobi Sasuke was in no hurry to decide the match. Outlasting him would do the trick. The Mangekyo Sharingan was indeed powerful, but how long could it endure?
Uchiha Sasuke found himself in a highly awkward predicament. If he completely exhausted his ocular power, it would mean losing control over the black flames. When that happened, he would suffer a death highly fitting for the legendary, maniacally laughing Uchiha—burning himself to death.
But just as he was caught in this dilemma, with a sharp poof, his figure vanished from the spot without warning.
"Huh? Running away that fast... are you really a righteous warrior?"
Sarutobi Sasuke was a bit baffled. He looked at the staff in his hand, vaguely figuring out what method the other party had used to escape.
In short, this battle between the two Sasukes concluded with Uchiha Sasuke making a victorious tactical retreat, while Sarutobi Sasuke's underhanded two-on-one strategy (counting the summoned beast) failed to yield any immediate results.
Countless Gains
Genma led the shinobi of the Yinghuo organization back to their village, paying no further attention to the Allied Clan Forces. Their search was far too meticulous; they were practically licking the ground inch by inch. Ghost only knew when they would finish clearing the battlefield.
Upon returning to Yinghuo Village, Genma and his people also began sorting through their spoils.
As expected, the secret technique scroll he obtained recorded the training methods for two types of nature transformations, along with a significant number of specific Swift Release and Storm Release ninjutsu. However, these two elements were Kekkei Genkai after all. The training methods were merely theoretical; for shinobi without the corresponding bloodline, their training would likely yield absolutely nothing.
With this kind of thing, they could only cast a wide net and have everyone try to learn it, hoping someone might get lucky... But there was one exception: with the backing of these training methods, certain individuals would soon be able to utilize both nature transformations.
Specifically, those in the organization who had mastered the Earth Grudge Fear secret technique. Because they already possessed hearts taken from the Hagoromo clan, those hearts could inherently combine to form Storm Release or Swift Release. Previously, they couldn't use the Kekkei Genkai because they lacked the specific methods, but now, they had the means.
Genma scratched his head, feeling that all the good fortunes were being hogged by fellows like Nara Hideyuki. Even he felt a bit of an existential imbalance.
By comparison, the ordinary scrolls he had plundered were actually more meaningful for the average shinobi of the organization. Now, whatever ninjutsu they wanted to learn, or whichever chakra nature transformation they wanted to practice... Come, come one, come all, it's all right here.
Seeing that everyone had an opportunity to improve made Genma feel both pleased and pressured. Just as he had told Tobirama earlier, his own strength hadn't progressed at all during this period, and it was a very unpleasant feeling. Much like a fitness addict, Genma was hooked on gaining strength; if he wasn't improving, he felt thoroughly uncomfortable.
Thinking back, Genma still had an unsettled score with Black Zetsu and White Zetsu. Therefore, he planned to find an opportunity to go back to his old trade...
Humph, I will use the power of others to become the King of Shinobi.
Not everyone could experience this sensation of constant self-improvement. Could Senju Hashirama feel this way? For someone who had already reached the peak, what else was there left to feel besides emptiness?
Look at Genma—look how fulfilled he was.
He won. No questions asked, Genma had completely bested Senju Hashirama.
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